The Rockridge District Association (RDA) is pleased to bring security ambassadors to College Avenue for the holiday season. RDA has contracted with Intervention Group Incorporated, Security Services, an Oakland company, to provide personnel as security ambassadors during the holidays, helping to make this an enjoyable time on the avenue this season. They will not only work to keep us safe but will be able to provide assistance with directions and information.

This past year, FROG has conducted annual park maintenance events to support the park, and made significant efforts to settle park enhancement planning and design. Following are some of FROG's activities and issues over the past year:

A tree is growing at Oakland Technical High School, and so are butterflies and a Goddess with billowing hair and arms stretched wide. They're part of a four-wall tile-and-mirror mosaic mural coming to life on a formerly nondescript building alongside the field bleachers. Fifty feet from where football teams scrimmage and tackle, the student-led Oakland Tech Mosaic Club team adheres and grouts, hoping to catch as many sunny afternoons as possible to finish the project in December. The mosaic is one of several projects the group plans to create in the coming months.

Wait! Did you see that? "We come in peace," said the message on his uniform. Having seen his green head and her green hair, you could be forgiven your moment of doubt, a doubt confirmed when you spy the hapless human hostage confined to the mobile holding cell.

If you could scream, you would, but when you turn for help, you see only grotesque and distorted and Munchkinesque creatures advancing toward you, muttering their unearthly chant: Triggertreet, Triggertreet.

Too many Oakland and Rockridge residents today are unprepared for a major earthquake on the Hayward fault.

Although the City Council and Oakland Fire Department take the warnings seriously and have produced the disaster preparedness program "Communities of Oakland Respond to Emergencies" (CORE), community response has been lethargic.

In September 2014, Kevin Faughnan, RCPC boardmember and liaison to the Rockridge District Association (RDA), Rockridge's merchant association, submitted the first in a series of articles for The Rockridge News chronicling merchants in business in the College Avenue business district for 25 years or longer. With his report on Rockridge Furniture and Design (see page 7) in this issue, the series concludes. The list below is the record of the 49 businesses featured in the series.

Frog is pleased to announce park enhancement plans are moving forward.

On October 25, the FROG committee met with the immediate Frog Park neighbors, along with City Councilman Dan Kalb, to share our updated design proposal. After much design work to address neighbor concerns and the long-term needs of the broader community, we were able to present a new design with a reconfigured layout of play equipment and added trees.

Scenic Streets is looking for a new leader. Peter Lund, who successfully led Scenic Streets for the past five years, is leaving to pursue new opportunities. Under Peter's strong leadership, Scenic Streets completed numerous complex community projects, including beautification projects at the Claremont Highway 24 on-ramp and off-ramp as well as DaVita Dialysis center landscaping on the corner of Claremont and Clifton. (For the full list of projects and to learn the history of Scenic Streets, visit www.scenicstreets.com).

It is the end of 1620 when a troupe of ragged Commedia Dell'Arte players arrive in Venice. They are fleeing a less-than-successful European tour and are hoping for an upturn in their fortunes. The Doge, Antonio Priuli, is preparing an elaborate festival to celebrate the new year. It is to feature the finest of elegant Renaissance music and courtly masque drama as well as guest performers invited from around the Mediterranean. There is no place in the Doge's plans for the low comedy of the players.